THE SOUDAN.

Manawatu Standard, Volume IX, Issue 86, 14 March 1885, Page 3

THE SOUDAN.

KHAETOXJM. Khartorim is the chief cit}', as well as ! the capital, of the Soudan country, claimed, by Egypt. It is located on the pen - j insular formed by 'the junction t>f the ; Blue and the White NileV The water m the river is about ' one thousand four hundred feeli above the level of the sea. There is an extensive quay on the | banks of the river, where the principal commerce ot a , country as large as all India naturally centres. The provinces of the Soudan, ar.e noi commercial to any great extent, but these great .rivers brirg to this point a great number of Rhips,' and you- see along the margin i of the beantiihl -river ; long lines of vessels and masts, which' give life arid: the api pearance of- civilisation. The .principal products are ivory; hides, senna; gnm anibic, , arid" beeswax. It will be soon that all thesb .productions Hre natural, and not the result of industry or' civilisation/ The inhabUants, of that vast coiuitry are notoriously indolent; someone has said that the bees are the only industrious creatures m that whole country. A great portion of the city Hep low, so that 'at high water it is flooded, : which renders it unhealthy, but it is believed that some day a remedy tor that evil will be provided. The gardens around the city are extensive and contain long rows of date palnis, many of which are Half a century old; arid 1 have become very valuable. ,' The view pi the city front .the-., opposite sfde of the river •is /very- fine. The groves of palm trees shading; the numerous buildings, and! thoivxlark green foliage contrasting with; the bright Golorg of the numerous build-' ings makes a view that is captivating to 'behold; but ; a- nearer- view of thecity destroys the romance,' for it'is dirty and vile. Tliis is not one of the ancient cities of thosp great valleys. It 'was founded by Mohammed Ali ! in' lß23, iirid the slave trade gathered here, and the^city increased' in population rapidly, and m 1859 had 40,090 people. .The; inhabitants are a strange , mixture -of all -colors, Consisting otVEgyptians, Berbers, Arabs, Turks, Jews,.. Europeans, and blacks'. The principal, part ot the town consists of mud built huts, but quite recently a large number of modern buildings have been erected, which'look substantial and imposing, especially the new palace of the Governor, which is of fine faced stone. . Th.c city is the centre of the caravan trade iroin , the .interior of Africa, which is a .reliable tradeahii a. great source., of wealth to the city," but the slave trade has been a. source of - gr«ht profit, and many thousands of poor ' slaves have been br6ughtto this market, 'and from here sent to all the slave markets m ( the world. The city is 15Q0 miles from Cairo; 'and the voyage down the river is long and tedious.